Locks are represented by one tumbler luggage locks. To lock a box or
chest, simply lock it shut. To represent a lock on a door, however, a
small box is duct-taped on or next to the door, and this is held shut by
the lock. When opening a lock with the key, the player must open up the
box and check inside it for any notes (if there is something jamming the
lock, such as the tip of a broken lockpick, the key will not open the
lock). In order for a character pick a lock in game, the player must out
of game pick the lock.

There are two types of lock; those set into a door or chest
(called fixed locks) and those which are not so set, such as
manacles or padlocks (called movable locks). Fixed locks can be
ranked level 1-6, and type A, B, C or D. Movable locks can be
ranked level 1-4, and type A, B, C or D. Locks may have certain
special qualities, as described below.

If the player setting up the lock wishes, (s)he may cover
over the part of the card listing the level and pick type
necessary with a flap of paper. By doing this, someone wanting
to pick the lock must actually study it for a moment to determine
how difficult it looks to pick.

As with tying a person up, or carrying a person, or other
such activities, in order to put manacles on a player, (s)he must
agree to it. If the player does not agree, his/her character
will not be allowed to attempt to pick the lock, and is assumed
to be unable to escape the bonds on his/her own.

First, the character must choose which lockpick to use. The
lock will have a letter (A, B, C, D) printed out of game,
describing which type of pick (angled, bendable, curved or
diminutive) looks most likely. It will also have a number (1-6)
printed to represent the estimated rank of the lock (this number
ranges from 1-4 for movable locks). Usually this code is
accurate, but sometimes a note attached to the lock rep (to be
opened only after fiddling with the lock ingame and opening the
out of game rep) will explain the "actual" lock statistics.

Next, the character may attempt to open and inspect the
lock, using his/her chosen lockpick. The character must have at
least one level of master lockpick ability, or one level of
ability with the type of lockpick being used, in order to try to
open or inspect the lock. The player must actually use an OOG
lockpick to open the OOG lock, to represent this time spent.
Once this is done (if it is done), any special rules on the lock
may be read (and must be followed).

The character's level of ability with the type of lockpick
used (angled, bendable, curved or diminutive) should be added to
the number of levels of lockpick mastery the character has. Only
if the player picked the lock, the character's total lockpicking
ability equaled or exceeded the lock's rank (according to lock
notes if any; according to the number on the outside of the lock
if there are no lock notes), and the character used the
appropriate sort of pick (angled, bendable, curved or diminutive;
again according to the lock notes) did the character pick the
lock.

If the character used the wrong type of pick or had
insufficient levels of lockpicking according to lock notes, the
player should shut the out of game lock. The character may try
again with another pick (based on the information (s)he gained in
the last attempt). If so, the process of picking the lock should
be begun again.

Often, the one-tumbler lock will hold lock notes giving
special rules for the lock. This should be opened and the
contents read. Certain locks will have special rules not readily
apparent. Often there will be no note in the box or envelope,
but for certain expensive locks a note (signed or stamped by the
GM) will give special instructions.

Examples:

"Though the lock appears to require an angled pick (so
it was notated as A-4 outside) it in fact requires a
curved pick. If a curved pick was used, the lock is
open. If an angled or other type of pick was used, the
lockpick is broken and will take 5 minutes to extract
before any further attempts to open this lock may be
made."

"The lock was just a bit tougher than it appeared.
Though it read B-3, it is actually a B-5. If the
character is unable to open a lock of this difficulty,
the lock remains locked despite your efforts."

"The lock is trapped. Unless the proper key was used,
you may be in trouble. If the character has disarm/set
traps ability (s)he may leave the lock in peace at this
point, or may attempt to disarm/get by the rep for the
trap located inside this box. If the character does
not have disarm/set traps ability (s)he must suffer the
effects of the trap. No hard feelings."

If the lock was opened with the correct variety of pick, the
character's ability with that sort of pick (combined with
lockpick masteries) equaled or exceeded the ranking of the lock,
and any special notes didn't otherwise prevent the lock from
being opened, the ingame lock is opened.

A strength of three or more is required to break most locks.
In the
instance of castle gates, the lock is usually stronger and
requires
greater strength to break. A battering ram can be used to pool
multiple
people's efforts.

Building anything using engineering requires access to
blueprints. Blueprints may be gained ingame, purchased through
logistics, or designed by a character with the appropriate
research ability. Engineering includes the creation of traps,
siege weapons, buildings, bridges, ships, sewers, mines, etc.

Blueprints, like alchemical formulas or magical grimoires,
may be memorized by spending skill points, or worked off of
directly without the skill point expenditure if the character has
all of the prerequisite abilities/skills.

What can and cannot be made with engineering is up to the
GM, and based primarily upon what can be represented in a given
campaign. If there are no buildings available to have a siege
during the game, the GM probably won't bother with plans for
catapults. However, sometimes even off-screen engineering
projects can have an effect on a game.

Example: Lord Sigrun has his engineer design
blueprints for a moat. He earns himself many enemies by raising
taxes on the populous to pay for its construction. When the
barbarians come on their annual pillage, the characters play out
the battle with a "moat" area marked off. None of the characters
can enter the moat in armor, and those who do enter must "swim",
moving at a slow speed and unable to do much else. Lord Sigrun
is pleased, for his archers and defensive forces are not hindered
by these impediments. However, he fails to realize that the
disgruntled peasants plan to lower the drawbridge for the
barbarians...

Engineering is necessary to make siege weaponry, such as
catapults or ballista. Engineering might also be the
prerequisite for any skills dealing with plumbing (aqueducts,
sewers), ship building (waterproofing, steering, sails),
carpentry, bridges or mining, should any of these come up in
play.

Dangers are things which are innately harmful. Dangers
include natural things such as pits, rockslides and poisonous
animals. Each danger has different rules for how its effects are
handled, and who may attempt to neutralize or deal with the
danger; these rules will be printed on a card taped to an obvious
part of the danger representation or mechanism.

Traps include manmade devices or mechanisms which are
inherently dangerous. Each trap follows different rules for how
its effects are handled. Generally traps may only be disarmed by
characters with the disarm traps ability, though there may be
exceptions as printed on the card.

Most dangers and traps are represented by simple out of game
tripwires, mechanical devices or electronic devices. If a
bangsnap or buzzer goes off, the trap or danger is considered to
have sprung, and any special rules written on the trap/danger
card will have to be followed. At any point before, a player who
sees the tag for the trap/danger may read it, so that (s)he knows
what his/her character sees. The tag will describe what
abilities and/or actions are necessary to actually disarm or
neutralize the trap/danger.

The out of game term for a trap or danger being set off is
"signal"; this refers to the sound made to let players know that
they've sprung a trap or danger. Ingame, the trap is not
necessarily making any noise; the trap/danger tag will describe
what the effects of the trap are.

Sometimes the effects of a trap or danger are random. In
such cases, an envelope will be attached to the trap containing
multiple cards saying what the particular effect of the trap is.
A person who sets off a trap draws a card at random from the
envelope to see what the effect is.

Some trap/danger effects may be mitigated or nullified by
the use of the dodge ability. A dodge can sometimes be used to
avoid a trap that is set off, but usually requires using two
dodges instead of one. This varies, and specific rules will be
printed on the trap/danger tag.

Example: One morning, Martin went out into the big
meadow. As Bob (who plays Martin) walked along, he stepped on a
pets' chew toy, which made a squeaky noise. Bob looked down at
the previously unnoticed chew toy, and noticed a danger tag, four
red zoology component tags (see the section on components)
and an envelope attached to it.
The danger tag noted that a character walking in the area would
be passing right over an underground hive of termites. The tag
instructs any character approaching the hive or stepping on the
chew toy to draw one of the effect cards at random from the
envelope (there were six). Bob drew, and the card read:

"The character is stung by several warrior termites,
which deliver a level four quick poison. Lose one health point
each minute for four minutes. Return this card to the
deck."

The chew toy and the noise are totally out of game in this case.
The odds of accidentally stepping on the chew toy represent the
odds of an unobservant person being caught unawares by the
termites. The odds of the player seeing the chew toy represent
the odds of an observant character noticing the hive.
As Martin doesn't have the zoology skill, Bob didn't look at or
take any of the red component tags. He did, however, have to
stumble out of the area with four health points
less.

The set traps ability, in conjunction with certain skills,
allows a person to hide a natural danger or construct a manmade
one. Characters without the appropriate skill(s) may not attempt
to set up dangers without harm to themselves.

Triggers for natural or manmade dangers include:

Concealed. A danger which has the target blunder into
it by
keeping a stationary hazard, trap door or restraining trap
hidden.

Obstacles. The danger is not hidden, but presents an
impediment which cannot be gone around. This includes such
things as guard dogs or lava flows.

Reactions. The area is innately prone to react badly
with
something. Perhaps natural gas in the air of a cave is
flammable, exploding if the characters have open flame. Perhaps
the area is a tainted magic area, which will do damage to mages
equal to two health points per level of magery. Perhaps a sewer
contains dangerous bacteria and germs, and has a high probability
of causing an infection in a person who is wounded.

Trap triggers and effects can be used for things other than
traps. For instance, a shifting trap effect might be used to
make a bookshelf which swings open to reveal a secret passageway
when the trigger book is pulled.

Triggers that are unique to traps include:

Manual. The target or another person pulls a rope,
lever, or
something to activate the trap. (One example would be a lock
trap which, if the lock is opened with something other than the
proper key, will move a lever and bring out a poisoned needle to
prick the character for ".1 body poison steel".)

Pressure. When weight is placed on (or removed from)
the
pressure plate (usually located on the floor, though it may also
be in a wall or elsewhere), the trap is activated. This same
mechanism is also used for secret doors.

Other. This might include such things as
spring-activated
triggers (one-way doors). In a more modern setting it might
include such things as light-sensitive devices.

The "effect" of a trap or danger is the result that it
produces. An effect might be to cause damage, to confine, to
delay, whatever. All of the below effects are applicable to
traps. Some are applicable to dangers.

Explosive. The trap does explosive damage as per
whatever
type/level of explosive it contains. The trap is generally
destroyed upon use.

Hazard, moving. Anything designed to fall on, roll
over, or
otherwise trample the target with its weight. This includes
rockfalls, lowering/falling ceilings, weights, etc.

Hazard, stationary. The trap or danger consists of or
includes an innately dangerous thing, such as poison, caltrops,
spikes or quicksand. Effect is appropriate to the type of
hazard.

Mechanical. A trap which does damage by snapping shut
on the
target (such as an animal trap). Different traps might do normal
damage, body damage, break or sever limb or other effects.

Projectile. The trap shoots a dart, bullet, arrow or
other
projectile at the target. Does damage type and amount
appropriate to weapon type.

Restraining. The trap or danger does not necessarily
do
physical harm, but keeps the target from moving (snares, pits,
etc.).

Shifting. A trap which is (usually) not intended to do
damage, but rather moves mechanical devices to bolt doors, close
portcullises or shift rooms.

Trap door. This moves the victim to a different
physical
location, often one from which the victim has no easy way to
leave. This type of trap would include chutes or pits. The trap
door itself does no damage; however, the fall or the surface
below might, as per normal falling
rules.

Warning. The trap does no physical harm, but sets off
an
alarm of some sort which warns someone of the trespasser, or
simply frightens the trespasser into believing so.